Konoha North University
by Hosh
Summary: A collection of 50 drabbles covering Uchiha Sasuke's life as a college student at Konoha North University, with dabbles of flashbacks as his life as a child growing up with only his brother Itachi and his babysitter, Kakashi.
1. Blood & Tears

**Blood & Tears**

A chilling, eerie scream sounded through the silent night air. Gun shots followed, cutting the bone-chilling screech off.

Uchiha Sasuke sat frozen in his seat at the kitchen table. His eyes widened when his brain registered the scream; unfortunately for him, it belonged to someone he knew like the back of his hand. His mother's.

Sasuke took one glance up at Kakashi, his babysitter, before bolting out of his chair and hurrying out of the manor.

"Sasuke, wait! It's too dangerous!" The light-haired teen hurried after the panicked child, coming to a stop at the end of the hallway and glanced around the corner only to find the door wide open and no Sasuke in sight. Cursing, Kakashi ducked back into the house to call the police and report the gunshots before chasing after the little troublemaker.

Outside, the streets were pitch black, fragments of glass surrounding each light post, signaling that they had been knocked out. The small Uchiha swallowed hard at the awaiting darkness, trembling slightly.

Another round of gunshots echoed through the streets and right into Sasuke's ears, causing him to freeze once more. His trembling became more noticeable, even as he forced his body to continue moving forward. Swallowing once more, his legs finally succumbed to his command and broke into a run, following the sound of a third round of gunshots.

Up ahead, Sasuke spotted beams of light – flashlights – fleeing from one of the alleyways, he guessed, as the sounds of sirens quickly drew closer. Sasuke stopped just out of sight, watching as several men scrambled into a single van. The lights flashed on suddenly, temporarily blinding the small Uchiha, who had stopped in the middle of the street.

"Nnh..." Sasuke flinched, bringing up his arms to shield himself from the intense headlights. A screeching sound then ran through the streets, causing Sasuke's head to snap up and away from his arms. Ebony eyes widened in horror as the van in front of him picked up speed, heading right for him. He stood, frozen, as he waited for his life to be taken from him abruptly.

But, that was not to happen. The van made a sharp turn to the right, speeding down another alleyway to escape. Sasuke fell down to his knees, panting for breath. Slowly, he glanced in the direction from which the men had emerged from before getting onto shaky feet, walking toward the alley.

Hearing the shuffle of feet making their way towards him, he raised his gun and pointed at the corner from which the figure emerged.

"A-Aniki...?" Sasuke took a small step back when he saw the gun pointed directly between his eyes, the flashlight of the body not five feet from the boy providing enough light for him to make out his brother's features.

"Sasuke... Why are you here." The voice was sharp as Itachi lowered his gun, revealing the blood staining his face. Sasuke said nothing and stared at the blood covering Itachi's face, eyes cautiously moving lower to the ground.

There they were. Mikoto and Fugaku Uchiha, bloodied and dead, several bullet holes defiling their bodies.

"'Tou-san! 'Kaa-san!" Sasuke rushed toward them, wanting to be with them--

"Don't get any closer, Sasuke!" Itachi snapped, eyes gaining a dark light. Sasuke stopped immediately, eyes widening, not expecting his beloved brother to raise his voice at him nor to give him such an unwanted look.

"Wh-What happened, nii-san...? 'Tou-san and 'kaa-san are..." His voice shook, as did his body, as he stared at the motionless forms of his parents. How he wanted them to open their eyes and assure him that they would be okay; that they would be taken to the hospital and get the best treatment available and be back on their feet in two-to-six weeks. How he longed...

"We were ambushed. They knew which route we were taking to the banquet." Was the simple, matter-of-factly reply given. No emotion leaked into his voice or face. Itachi had witnessed his parents' murders and yet he sat there, completely unaffected by the night's events.

The child shook his head slowly, unable to take in all of the information at once. It was just too much for him. Hearing his mother's scream, the gunshots... and now, being faced with their corpses...

Sasuke feel to his hands and knees, starting to feel feint. The sounds of the sirens that he had heard on his way to the alley grew nearer. The last thing that Sasuke remembered seeing was the alley suddenly becoming bright before blacking out.


	2. Lullabies

**Lullabies**

Sasuke let out a yawn, pausing his video game to raise a hand up sleepily at an eye. Despite it still being early, Sasuke had gotten himself tired while playing his video games.

Itachi, who sat not far from him while reading a book, marked his page before closing said book. Setting it aside on he table, Itachi got out of his chair and walked over to the sleepy Uchiha, kneeling down beside him to ruffle his hair.

"Come on, Sasuke. Time for bed. Mother and Father will be home when you wake up in the morning." Sasuke huffed slightly and simply resumed his game. Itachi mentally counted the seconds before Sasuke let out another yawn.

He chuckled softly as he watched the child fight off another yawn and reached over to turn the game and TV off.

"Nii-san! I can still stay up!" Sasuke huffed, glaring at Itachi for ending his game prematurely.

"Tell you what," Itachi pulled the pouty child onto his feet and offered a small smile, "I'll read you a story if you go to bed now." As expected, Sasuke immediately brightened up at the offer and turned to go get ready for bed.

Shaking his head, amused, Itachi stood up and followed Sasuke into his room to grab the child's favorite book from underneath a pile of other books and toys.

Sasuke, teeth brushed and now in his pajamas, bounced onto his bed as his older brother took his seat on the edge of it. He gave an innocent smile for the mischievous action and obediently climbed under the covers.

Itachi waited until Sasuke was settled before poking his forehead playfully and opened the book in his hands as if he had done absolutely nothing and read aloud.

It didn't take long before the child dell asleep, if even a few pages. Itachi looked up from the book and allowed himself another small smile, watching Sasuke's peaceful face as the boy slept.

"Good night, otouto." He murmured softly, leaning over to place a light kiss on Sasuke's temple before getting up to leave the room, turning the lights off as he went.

* * *

_Takes place before the murder of Uchiha Mikoto and Uchiha Fugaku_


	3. Reaching Out

_Note: Takes place after Blood & Tears_

* * *

Sasuke let out a soft sigh as he waited at the front door for Itachi's return. Kakashi didn't seem to mind or care, as he was currently in the living room reading. The child held his favorite plushie to his chest and stared at the door, willing it to open.

Sasuke's silent plea would be answered not even three minutes later as the door opened, revealing an exhausted Itachi. As per usual, Sasuke got up and immediately hugged his brother around the waist in greeting.

Itachi simply glanced down at the child, patted him on the head, and detached him from his waist to remove his shoes without so much as a word. Sasuke watched for a moment before opening his mouth to ask a question, but Itachi spoke before it had the chance to be voiced.

"Not today, Sasuke." With that said Itachi slipped on his slippers and silently made his way to his room, from which he would not leave until morning.

It had been like this since their parents had been murdered. Itachi would work part-time at the police station to provide for Sasuke, then came home and went to his room to do his homework. A month had already passed since the cycle had started, and Sasuke was missing his brother.

Sulking, Sasuke went into the kitchen to grab the tray that contained Itachi's dinner and carefully carried it upstairs, plushie neatly tucked underneath an arm. Once there, the child knocked on Itachi's door with his foot, unable to use his occupied hands.

"Come and sit it on the table, Sasuke." The knock had been too soft to be Kakashi. Actually, since when did the babysitter even bother to do such a task?

Sasuke shot a glare at the door before nudging it open with his foot. Once inside, he obediently sat the tray on t he table beside the teen's desk. However, he did not move to leave.

After five minutes of Sasuke not moving, Itachi decided to speak up, "I will eat when I am finished with this paper, Sasuke." The only response he got from his younger brother was the shake of his head.

"I can't play with you today. Go ask Kakashi."

"I don't want Kakashi." Came the muttered reply.

Itachi said nothing, opting to focus on his work than argue with his little brother.

"…" Sasuke hated being ignored. It made him feel unwanted.

Glancing over at Itachi, Sasuke waited until the teen switched papers before climbing into his lap, ignoring the look he got from Itachi.

"What are you doing." Sasuke decided not to answer that, choosing to simply cuddle closer, head against chest, than speak to Itachi at the moment.

Sighing in defeat, the teen decided to indulge the stubborn child just this once and resumed his work.


	4. Fear

_Notes: Takes place after Blood & Tears, before Reaching Out_

* * *

Kakashi sighed as he opened the door to Itachi and Sasuke's hospital room. He had heard the scream and gunshots, but he still could not believe that the yakuza had managed to not only kill Uchiha Fugaku, police chief, and his wife, Mikoto, but injure the Uchiha clan's prodigy as well.

Kakashi closed the door behind him and looked Itachi over; well, if he could sit up and read a book that was good. Dark grey eyes shifted from the teenager to the unconscious Sasuke.

"Sasuke will be fine," Itachi spoke up, marking his page in the book a fellow family member had brought him. "He just fainted."

A sigh of relief could be heard as the silver-haired man made his way to Itachi's bedside, sitting himself down in the chair. "How are your injuries?"

"Just shot in the leg." The younger teen replied, as if unfazed by what happened just hours ago.

"When will you be released?"

"Tomorrow, along with Sasuke."

"I'll come by and take you home then."

"Hn."

And come by the following day he did. The release forms had already been signed and wheelchair rented. Sasuke sat sleeping in Itachi's lap as Kakashi rolled the siblings out of the hospital.

"The doctors found something interesting during my stay." Kakashi couldn't help but frown down at Itachi. This caught Sasuke's attention as well, drifting in and out of consciousness.

"Like?" The tone of the older teen's voice held a hint of seriousness, while Itachi's still remained calm, casual even, like the news didn't concern him at all.

"I have a terminal disease and will need to take medicine from now on." Yes, his voice was too casual for the subject.

"Sasuke won't be happy to hear that."

"Sasuke doesn't have to know. No one does."

Oh, but he now knew. The conversation pulled him further away from the blissfulness of sleep. Itachi was sick – something that was not caught before – and his life was sought after by the yakuza. Sasuke didn't like it.

What if something happened to Itachi? What if he was out of medicine when he needed it most, and they couldn't afford a refill? What if the yakuza ambushed him like they did their parents?

Countless 'what ifs' continued to run through the child's mind and he gripped at his brother's shirt. He didn't like this. He wanted his brother to be safe.

Itachi rubbed Sasuke's back soothingly, trying to get him to relax.

Safe was no longer an option.


	5. Snow

_Note: Takes place after Reaching Out_

_

* * *

_Uchiha Sasuke hated winter because of how cold it got. Hatake Kakashi, his babysitter, knew this, and decided to show him how fun winter could really be.

"How can a foot of snow be 'fun'?" Sasuke asked, huffing as Kakashi pulled the blue hoodie over his head and handed him a jacket.

"Well, we could have a snowball fight," Kakashi suggested casually, pulling out gloves and a snow cap. The Uchiha perked up a little at the thought, "but you still wouldn't be able to touch me." It was obvious the teen was smiling behind his scarf.

Once outside, Sasuke stuffed his gloved hands into his pockets and gave the snow a kick. The whole neighborhood was a sheet of white with hardly any specks of color, aside from the two of them.

"Let's build a snowman, shall we?" Without waiting for a response, Kakashi walked past the ten-year-old to start the base. Sasuke blinked after and followed his babysitter, curiosity spiked. Since when did 'Kakashi' and the term 'snowman' go together?

The silver-haired teen hummed an innocent tune as he packed snow into a growing, tight ball in the palm of his gloved hand. Shrugging, Sasuke grabbed a handful of white powder and began to do the same. He was getting chilly just standing and watching anyway. Might as well get some blood flowing.

After about an hour later, both Kakashi and Sasuke got the three vast snowballs stacked atop one another. Sasuke tried not to fidget to keep warm while Kakashi decorated the nude, faceless snowman. He couldn't help but stare as Kakashi unraveled his scarf and placed it onto the snowman's head, followed by a single eye and a patch.

Seeing Kakashi the Snowman just looked... ridiculous. For once, the Uchiha had the urge to laugh. As if knowing this, the teen continued his task, sticking two long sticks on each side to give the snowman arms.

"How is it looking so far, Sasuke?" Kakashi asked, adding in buttons for the shirt.

"It looks too bald to be you." Muscles that hadn't been used in two years tugged and pulled, a small smile now gracing Sasuke's lips.

Kakashi glanced back at the boy and smiled. Seeing the same from Sasuke had been his desired effect all along.


	6. Glints in Your Eyes

* * *

_Note: Takes place after Reaching Out, before Snow_

* * *

Kakashi stopped walking when he realized that Sasuke wasn't following him. They were on their way home from grocery shopping when Sasuke noticed an advertisement on the brick wall of a building for martial arts classes.

The teen looked back at Sasuke and followed his gaze, "You want to learn martial arts?" Blinking, Sasuke looked away from the piece of paper and ahead at his babysitter, nodding. Kakashi said nothing else and simply kept walking, leaving the boy to sprint in order to catch up.

Several minutes of silence passed before Kakashi asked, "Why do you want to learn martial arts, Sasuke?" He glanced down at the boy, waiting for an answer.

Sasuke glanced up at him, nothing but determination showing in ebony eyes, "So nii-san doesn't always fight and worry about me. I don't want anything to happen to him because of me." So he knew about Itachi's condition. The answer was a dead giveaway on that.

Allowing himself a small smile, Kakashi reached down and ruffled the boy's hair, "All right. I'll teach you, Sasuke, but I won't go easy on you."


	7. Scars & Burns

* * *

_Note: Takes place after Glints in your eyes. Henshi, Hagashii, and Yuu are mine. Chishio belongs to Saku._

* * *

Sasuke ducked into the bushes to avoid his annoying fanclub that chased after him. He couldn't help but roll his eyes as they all continued to run, chasing after nothing. He really needed to find a way home, and staying after with Itachi at the high school was out of the question. His fanclub was _worse_, and he didn't even want to think about the two combined... not to mention that two of his friends, Sasori and Deidara, had their own, albeit it smaller, fanclubs as well. Four combined would be absolute hell.

Seeing that the coast was clear, Sasuke stepped fully through the bushes and onto the other side, stopping to get a look at his new surroundings. It wasn't that much different than the side that he had emerged from, though it was more run-down. That didn't surprise him at all, since the city has a problem with the yakuza and gangs. It was to be expected.

Shrugging, the teen continued on his way home. Upon hearing voices ahead, he slowed. He stopped short of the concrete wall that turned around the corner and listened.

"Oi, Hagashii Wake up, I'm hungry." Said a whiny voice. A snort and snore could be heard from the person Sasuke assumed was called 'Hagashii.' Something about the name seemed vaguely familiar.

"Just leave him." said a female's voice, "It's a pain in the ass to wake him every time we need to move."

"He isn't always asleep, though, Yuyu"

'Yuyu' scowled, "I told you not to call me that, Henshi. My name's Yuu." A laugh could be heard.

"Hush. We have company." Sasuke tensed. He didn't mean to get himself caught. Acting as casually as possible, Sasuke pushed himself silently off the wall and started back the way he came, only to have several yards of steel wire wrap around him and pull him back to and around the corner, causing him to stumble.

"What, it's just a kid with a duck ass." Yuu smirked at the captured Sasuke, who turned and shot here a glare.

Henshi frowned and got to his feet, stepping over Hagashii's legs and approached the Uchiha, "Ne, doesn't he look familiar?" He asked, kneeling down in front of Sasuke and took his chin into his hand, observing.

Scowling, Sasuke wrenched his face away from Henshi's hand, "I don't know what the hell you're talking about."

"Hn. He does look like Itachi." He froze at that. "Probably his brat brother that we nearly ran over that night." Henshi glanced over his shoulder, "We? That was you and your poor driving skills, Chishio" He snickered.

Sasuke's eyes widened slightly as he listened to their conversation. Itachi. Nearly ran over. His memory instantly brought up the flashes of that night, of the van that almost ran smack into his lithe body, of his bloodied brother and dead parents.

It couldn't be.

There was no way.

"What was the brat's name again?" Yuu asked, pushing herself off of the railing she had been resting on and making her way over to the shocked Uchiha, "Sasuke, right?" He looked up at his name, forcing his eyes to narrow. Part of his was scared that he had stumbled upon the people that had killed his parents, since they would most likely do the same to him. He was an Uchiha, after all, and his father had led the case against the people before him. No one else touched it since then, of course, for fear of their own lives and family.

Not that it mattered. Itachi said they were after the entire clan. They were just first on the list.

"Hyuu What luck we have." Henshi turned back to Sasuke and gave a sadistic smirk, "I'm willing to put my ramen on hold for this."

Like Sasuke would give in that easily. Acting quickly, he leaned back and kicked Henshi in the face, who simply tilted his head back to dodge.

The wires tightened in retaliation, cutting through his uniform and starting to dug into his skin. Sasuke bit down on the inside of his cheek before he could flinch and tugged on them, trying to see if he could loosen them without the aide of a knife. No such luck.

Chuckling, Henshi got to his feet and dug his foot into Sasuke's abdomen, pressing down with the heel of his foot. A silent gasp left the teen's parted lips and immediately tried to knock him off. He was kicked hard in the ribs for that, sending him rolling towards Chishio and skidding to a halt.

_'Fuck...'_ Ebony eyes narrowed as Sasuke moved quickly, trapping one of Chishio's legs between his feet and pulling, causing him to lose his balance. The wires loosened as consequence, and Sasuke took the chance to free himself, quickly getting to his feet.

Chishio cursed and pulled his wire taut, trying to trap Sasuke once more. Unfortunately for him, that was not to happen, as Sasuke had already moved away from the sharp threads. He had to be careful if he didn't want to be severely cut by them. Best to avoid Chishio for now.

"Heh. Think you're such a hot shot? Your father thought that and look where it got him," Yuu taunted, smirking.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed, clenching his teeth. He could feel the anger boil within him, growing more intense with each mention of his family. If they thought that he would just break down and cry or run home crying for Itachi, they were way wrong.

No, they were in for one hell of a beating.

Sasuke would get his revenge.

In an instant, Sasuke was in front of Yuu, arm drawn back before releasing in a punch to the gut. Yuu let out a cough and grabbed his wrist before he could pull away.

"Don't you know it's not nice to hit a lady?" Here red eyes narrowed and kicked Sasuke hard in the stomach, sending him flying back against the wall.

He coughed as he hit the hard wall, tasting the metallic liquid in his mouth. Fuck, that hurt.

He didn't have much time to dwell on the latest blow before he was forced to quickly move out of the way, narrowly missing several senbon that had been aimed for his pressure points. Wonderful. Ebony eyes darted from Henshi, to Yuu, to Chishio, and back again. His mind raced to come up with a plan that would successfully get him away from these three for the time being.

No, he was not running away.

Uchiha Sasuke did not run from a fight. He knew, however, that now as not the best time to fight them.

He snapped out of his thoughts as his ears picked up on the screeching wire winding around his foot, quickly glancing down.

Chishio yanked on the tightening wire hard, pulling Sasuke down and off of feet. The teen cringed as his head met the concrete, and he wouldn't doubt that he was now bleeding. His vision swam momentarily as he heard one of the three approach him.

Then all stopped as the sound of sirens cut through the area, drawing a curse from the gang members. Sasuke sat up slowly and watched as Chishio withdrew his wire, Henshi gather Hagashii's sleeping body, and Yuu collect their belongings before the three disappeared.

Sasuke fell back down with a groan, wincing as he hit his head on the concrete.

From that day forward, Sasuke would catch the gang and fight them. It would end with the police on their way or one beat up Uchiha slowly picking himself up.

Itachi was not pleased with Sasuke finding them. His displeasure grew whenever Sasuke needed to be taken to the hospital on numerous occasions.

* * *

Please forgive my horrible battle scene. I know that it wasn't much and horrible, to boot.


	8. Heaven or Hell

* * *

_Notes: Takes place after Scars & Burns_

* * *

"Hey, Itachi, what's for din--" Sasuke stopped in his tracks in the middle of the staircase, eying both his and Itachi's schoolbags resting against the railing. Hadn't he just put his bag on his bed prior to using the bathroom to wash the dirt off his face?

"Grab your bag, Sasuke. We're leaving." Itachi casually picked his bag up and made his way toward the front door. Sasuke watched him for a moment before running down the stairs to catch up with him, grabbing his arm to stop his brother in his tracks.

"Leaving? Leaving _where_? We just got home!" What the hell was Itachi talking about? Didn't he have to go to work in a few minutes, anyway? Why was he acting like he didn't have the need to?

Itachi shifted to regard his little brother coolly over his shoulder, unphased by the hand around his upper arm above the elbow. He could see the ferocity that lingered from Sasuke's lasted fight, though now it was joined by confusion.

After what seemed like several long minutes to the younger teen, Itachi finally spoke, "This place is no longer home. We are moving immediately."

Sasuke scowled and opened his mouth to protest, but Itachi gave him a stern look that offered no room for argument. So, instead, he did what he did best: he glared.

Itachi moved so that he was fully facing Sasuke, shrugging the hand off of him in the process, before reaching down to grab his chin. He smirked at how his little brother automatically tensed at the contact.

"You will grab your bag and will meet me at the car. Understand?" Itachi was bemused at hos defiant Sasuke had gotten, and could clearly see it in his eyes. Though, instead of continuing to be the defiant child that he was, Sasuke merely nodded slowly.

"Hn." Itachi let him go and continued to the front door, stepping out of the house to start the car.

Once Itachi was out of sight, Sasuke let out a shaky breath and ran a hand through his hair. He turned and went to grab his bag and paused for a moment once the item in question was in his hands, glancing up at the stairs. His brows creased as he tried to think of a valid reason for outright _abandoning_ their home and precious belongings. Though, he knew if he asked his brother outright, he wouldn't receive an answer. Maybe Kakashi knew? The two were fairly close.

Reluctantly, Sasuke turned away from the stairs and made his way to the door. He quickly made plans in his head to see the college freshman later that night after Itachi went to bed.

The teen slipped his shoes back on and reached for the door knob. He glanced over his shoulder one last time, murmuring a sullen "I'm leaving" before opening the door and walking out of the house.

He knew in the back of his mind that he would return to his childhood home one day. Itachi couldn't control every aspect of his life, try as he might. He wouldn't allow it.


	9. Running Away

_Note: Takes place after Heaven or Hell_

* * *

Sasuke glared at the door that guarded their new 'home,' as Itachi called it, before following him inside of the loft. He glanced around as he slipped off his shoes, not surprised to find it already furnished, every item in his sight screaming that it was brand new.

His brows creased as he stepped toward the hall. Is this what Itachi had been doing the past three weeks, working overtime and buying furnishings for their 'home'? It would definitely explain why he had hardly seen his brother.

"Your room is the first on the left, Sasuke." Itachi said casually, setting the keys on their rack and setting his school bag down beside the front table.

Sasuke spared his brother a glance over his shoulder before disappearing down the hall, noting that there were three rooms, two on the left – bedrooms, he assumed – and another in the center at the end of the hallway, and another to the right. With a shrug, Sasuke stepped into his room and stopped in the doorway.

His room was completely furnished as well, and he didn't doubt that Itachi's own bedroom was too. Both the bed and desk were similar, if not the same, as the bed and desk that he had left behind at the house. The bag fell from his hand as he made his way over toward the closed and slid the door open, finding it filled with shirts in his size. The dresser behind him was most likely filled with pants and shorts, socks and underwear as well.

Sasuke scowled and turned around to look for the bathroom. What was the point of even stopping at the house to begin with? Maybe Itachi needed to grab their prescriptions from the bathroom.

One look behind the cabinet behind the mirror in the main bathroom was empty. Itachi seemed to have the master bedroom, so perhaps...

The teen left the bathroom and made his way toward the bedroom at the center of the hallway that belonged to Itachi.

"What are you looking for, Sasuke." He flinched slightly and stopped just before the doorway, hearing Itachi's voice from the kitchen.

"Nothing." He lied, hoping that his brother's next response to be his usual 'hn.'

"Then don't go into my room without permission. Finish your homework." Sasuke clenched his teeth at being caught and turned to head back into his own room. Damn bastard always knew what he was up to. He couldn't even sneak in a freaking _snack_ before dinner.

Sasuke kicked his bag further into his room before slamming the door behind him. He made a move to walk over to the abused lump of fabric, but paused as the window caught his eye. Curious, he walked over to it to see if there was a balcony or something below that he would be able to stand or land on safely.

The teen smirked as he caught sight of the fire escape and opened the window. Now he just had to make sure that he was quiet while making his way out the window and down ladders.

As he made his way down, he couldn't help but glance up every minute, just to make sure that Itachi wasn't poking his head out the window and demanded that he climb back up inside. Just the thought of being caught by his brother made his heart beat a little faster, adrenaline coursing through he veins.

When he was close enough to the ground, Sasuke let go of the ladder and leapt the rest of the way down, holding his arms out straight and bending his knees as he touched the ground. He chanced another glance up toward his room, mentally sighing when he saw no heads poking out of windows.

Not one for wasting time, Sasuke turned and started off in a sprint towards Kakashi's apartment. He only hoped the babysitter was home, otherwise the other tenants may call Itachi if he were seen waiting around for him, and that was something that Sasuke preferred to _not_ happen.

--

Luckily, the teen ran into no trouble while running six blocks to Kakashi's apartment. He gave another mental sigh of relief as he climbed the stairs to Kakashi's floor. Sasuke had spotted the silver car that he knew belonged to him, which was definitely a good sign. For once, he luck was coming through.

Sasuke glanced up at the silver '69' on Kakashi's door and rolled his eyes, easily recalling Sasuke's sex jokes he made whenever he would come to spend the night. He then knocked on the door and began to tap his foot impatiently on the ground.

When two minutes had past and no answer came, Sasuke reached up to knock on the door again. As he did, the door finally opened, although partially, and revealed the top half of his babysitter's head.

"Aren't you supposed to be doing your homework at your new loft?" The elder teen asked casually, not in the least surprised to see Sasuke at his doorstep.

"Screw the homework and the damn loft. Let me stay the night."

"Hm." Kakashi shifted so that he was standing fully straight, orange novel in his hand. He didn't appear to be listening.

Sasuke felt his right eye twitch and simply shoved the door open before walking into the apartment. He didn't have the time for this.

Kakashi simply closed the door behind the stomping teen and watched as he disappeared into the guest room. He let out a soft sigh as he closed the book. Kakashi figured that the Sasuke would react this way and was actually cooking one of the Uchiha's favorite meals when he knocked.

"You're only staying until Itachi comes to get you, Sasuke." Kakashi called out, returning to the kitchen to continue preparing dinner.

Being the rebellious teen that he was, Sasuke ignored whatever Kakashi had just said. Instead, he changed into more comfortable clothes that he usually wore when training. He needed to blow off steam, and this was the perfect way to do it (unless he was feeling masochistic, then he'd go and pick a fight).

--

Itachi was not amused. Sasuke's room was empty, giving the perfect reason why there was no response when he called that dinner had been ready. His eyes scanned the room, finding his brother's bag in a lump in the middle of the floor and the window wide open.

_'I suppose I'll just have to seal it shut.'_ Itachi mused, casually walking over to the window to close it. He then left the bedroom and pulled out his cell phone to call Kakashi. It was answered almost immediately on the second ring.

"_Yo. Didn't take you long to find Sasuke missing."_

"Hn. You will have him waiting outside by the time I get there." Without waiting for a response, the Uchiha hung up and left the loft to pick up his run away, moronic little brother.

--

Kakashi was leaning against the counter reading his porn when the phone rang. Gray eyes flicked up to the caller ID on the wall, and sure enough, Itachi was the one calling. Not wanting to further add to his displeasure, Kakashi picked up his wireless and answered, "Yo. Didn't take you long to find Sasuke missing." He shut his book for the second time in less than an hour and glanced over at the clock. It had only been five minutes since the thirteen-year-old's arrival.

"_Hn. You will have him waiting outside by the time I get there."_ Kakashi opened his mouth to respond, but a click and tone coming from the other end signaled that he had been hung up on.

Sighing, Kakashi turned off the phone and pushed himself off of the counter. He had about three minutes to get Sasuke snapped out of his training mode (since he usually stopped by for just that), changed back into his school uniform, and outside the building. Sometimes, Itachi's time limits were just impossible.

He didn't bother to knock as he opened the door to the guest room; they didn't have the luxury of time for knocking. He watched Sasuke for a split second before catching his ankle as he kicked into the air.

Sasuke's eyes widened slightly at his leg being caught in mid-air before they narrowed in a glare.

"What the hell do you want. I'm busy." He hated being disturbed whenever he was training, and Kakashi knew it. So why did his babysitter decide to do it _now_, of all the freaking times?

"Itachi is on his way over. You need to be outside and changed in two minutes." Sasuke paled a bit at the news of being found so quickly and took his leg back, Kakashi letting him and dropping his hand back to his side.

"I can't do anything to hold him off, Sasuke, so don't ask me. This one is all you. Do as he says and he won't be as hard." With that, Kakashi turned to leave room, ignoring the half-hearted glare he felt on his back.

Cursing, Sasuke quickly stripped from his training clothes and back into his uniform. He didn't have time to make sure that he didn't look like he had just gotten some, and he didn't care how disheveled he looked. The teen grabbed his jacket and shoes, and ran out of the apartment, making his way down the stairs as fast as he could while slipping on his jacket.

He turned the corner and came out of the building's hallways, panting for breath as he spotted his brother climb out of his car. Sasuke swallows past the lump in his dry throat before approaching him.

"Get in." Sasuke hesitated slightly at the sharp command before nodding, obediently climbing into his brother's car before Itachi pulled out, making his way back to their loft.

As expected, the drive was silent, albeit a tense one. Sasuke almost wished that they were going back home instead of the loft, if only for the shorter drive. Actually, he should've ran the four extra blocks back home. Nothing that he could do about it now, though. What's done was done and he would be lucky to wake up in the morning without any bruises.

Itachi parked the car and got out without silently and Sasuke followed suit. When he was close enough, Itachi grabbed his brother's arm and pulled him along, ignoring the soft hiss of pain and stumbling of feet that came from Sasuke.

Sasuke tugged slightly at his arm, only to have Itachi's grip tighten. Itachi did not let go of Sasuke until they reached the loft, where he calmly unlocked the door before tossing Sasuke inside.

The younger teen didn't have time to catch his footing before he stumbled over the first step and their slippers, falling onto the wood floor with a dull thud. Itachi paid him no mind as he followed him inside and removed his shoes as if nothing had happened.

A hand reached out to his arm, placing it gently over the tender skin as Sasuke got back to his feet. He glanced at his brother cautiously, awaiting his punishment. His brother only passed him by as he made his way into the kitchen to put away Sasuke's meal.

He followed him into the kitchen and opened his mouth to question him, but shut it as Itachi spoke.

"You will go to your room. If I should find that you are missing a second time, I will drag you back and lock you in your room." It was a promise, not a threat, and Sasuke knew it. The teen nodded silently and walked back to his room, closing the door behind him with a soft click.

He couldn't help but let out a sigh before sinking down to the floor. He couldn't believe the stunt he had just pulled, how cowardly it was. Uchihas did not run; they faced their problems head on, even if it meant risking their lives. His lip muscles tugged weakly as he gave a weak grin. His father would be disappointed in him, no doubt.

Sasuke ran a hand through his hair as he sat there. He would simply have to make sure that he would no longer experience any lapses of judgment. The price wasn't worth it, even if Itachi was focused on only him for that short period in time.


	10. Introductions & Beginnings

_Note: Takes place after Running Away._

* * *

Uchiha Sasuke did not mind that it was blazing hot on moving day. Of course, he slowly began to dislike the current weather, seeing as his bastard of a brother decided to park as far from his dorm building as possible. He enjoyed seeing him suffer. Sasuke scowled as he shifted his last box, trying to equally distribute its weight so his arms wouldn't tire out so easily; though it was his last box, he was still half-way across the parking lot.

Good thing he had sent Itachi that virus two days ago. A smirk then graced his lips at the memory. Yes, revenge was sweet. The bastard deserved it. Hmph.

Once inside the building, the eighteen-year-old let out a small breath of relief. Now all he had to do was get his box into his room. Room 72 was on the third floor, and it looked like there was a forming line for the use of the elevator. Looks like the stairs would be the quickest way to his room, even if he had to carry his box with tired arms.

Though now wasn't the time to complain. Sasuke set the box down for a moment and shook out his arms to get the blood flowing in them once more. Whenever they had started feeling normal again, he bent down and picked up the box, sprinting toward the stairs. The sooner he got upstairs, the sooner he could rest before unpacking.

Ebony eyes scanned the numbers listed on the doors for his room. He let out an audible sigh of relief before walking up to it and nudging the door open with his door. Thankfully, it opened for him. His roommate, assuming that he had gotten there before him (Though he doubted it. Uchihas were punctual and always on time; they were not to be beat by others.) left the door open a crack or the RA had already come and gone. He went for the former.

To his disappointment, however, he was not the first one to walk into the room. His roommate sat at his desk on one side of the room, and a simple glance showed that he had already unpacked and was situated for the semester. Said roommate briefly glanced back over his shoulder as Sasuke walked into the room before turning around to face front again and resume his task on his laptop. Sasuke didn't seem to notice the brief glance; if he didn't then he didn't care.

Instead, he put his energy into walking over to the empty desk that he knew was now his and places the box on top with a soft thud. He rested both hands on the desk and simply stood there, regaining his breath and giving his arms another short break. He still needed to unpack, if the stacked boxes in the corner with his name on them weren't any other indication. He didn't seem to care about the room itself until now, since he had been so concentrated on getting his boxes out of his brother's car before lunch time.

Lunch time.

Mentally groaning, Sasuke pulled out his cell phone to check the time. Good. He still had about an hour to spare before Itachi expected him to show up and return his keys.

After a few moments of silence, Sasuke's roommate finally spoke up, "I assume that you're my roommate and have a name." Sasuke's eye twitched slightly at the demand, but answered calmly.

"Uchiha Sasuke. Yours?" He turned around to face his roommate and stared at him straight in the eye. He made no mental comment on the abnormality of his pale eyes.

"Hyuuga Neji." Neji glanced Sasuke over once before folding his arms over his chest in an authoritative manner. Sasuke refrained from rolling his eyes at the action. Was this guy always so stuck up? The stick needed to be taken out of his ass. He already felt sorry for whatever relatives that Neji had to deal with.

Sasuke shook his head and began to unpack his belongings. It wasn't his problem if his roommate needed to get laid. The Uchiha paused in the middle of his unpacking, staring at the empty space where his laptop bag should have been. He eyebrows knitted together as he tried to figure out where the _hell_ it had gone to. Sasuke knew that he had put it in _this_ box, and that it was still there when he last check prior to leaving the loft. The only way that it could have been taken was during the ride to campus.

Itachi.

Okay... sending him a virus had a downside. He took a deep breath to calm himself before turning and stalking out of the room, Neji's curious gaze following him out.

Sasuke didn't pay attention to those around him or those that were coming his way and toward the door. In his calm haste to get to his brother, he opened the door just as a blond teen reached out to open it, causing its frame to smack him square on the forehead. Only then did he notice that someone had been there, though he didn't seem too concerned about their injury. Their fault, he mused.

"Ow! Don't you look where you're going, bastard!?" The blond accused, rubbing his tender head while pointing an accusing finger at the brunet.

"Not my fault you don't pay attention, dobe." Sasuke retorted before continuing on his way. He didn't bother to hear what retort the blond had come up with after realizing that he had already left.

Sasuke glanced up at the teachers' residence building, pausing for just a moment to take in its five story architecture. After his observing, he moved to continue on inside. He wasn't even able to take three steps inside before being stopped.

"I'm sorry, but students are not allowed inside this building without permission." Dark eyes glanced up into eerie golden ones. Sasuke took a small step back without thinking of it, but he knew something about the man before him gave off a... dangerous, one could say, vibe. But, he knew that the board would not hire a criminal to teach. Maybe he was imagining things.

"I'm here to see my brother," He said flatly, seemingly unphased by the man's leer. He couldn't help but flinch as his chin was grabbed roughly, a chill running down his spine at the predatory gleam in the man's eyes. Perhaps he wasn't imagining things.

"Orochimaru, I suggest removing your hand from my little brother if you still have an attachment to it." The man scowled and glanced back over his shoulder, spotting the older Uchiha on his way down the stairs. Reluctantly, he removed his hand from Sasuke's chin and moved away from said teenager.

When the gaze wouldn't leave him, Orochimaru slithered back into whatever shadowed corner that he had come from. Sasuke tried to rub the man's touch off of his skin, scowling when he found that it didn't work. He'd have to use rubbing alcohol later.

"What do you want, Sasuke." Itachi didn't bother to wait for him. Instead, he made his way toward the vending machines to get himself a snack. Sasuke sprinted in order to catch up to his brother.

"Did you take my laptop?" He asked, a hint of accusation underlining his voice.

"Perhaps," Itachi inserted his money into the machine and pressed a combination of buttons before reaching to grab his snack. The younger Uchiha made an attempt to swipe it before he could, but his hand was easily brushed aside. He ignored his little brother's glare and turned to head back up and to his room. Sasuke followed.

"That doesn't answer my question."

"Too bad." A vein twitched by the teen's right eye. He hated his brother.

Sasuke followed him into his room, eyes scanning for his computer. He watched as Itachi sat at his desk, and lo and behold, there was his laptop.

_''Perhaps' my ass, Itachi.'_ Sasuke thought, walking over to his brother and placing both hands on either side of the slim machine.

"I want it back."

"No."

"Why?"

"Because mine is in the shop."

"Then go get it!" Itachi looked up from the screen and at his glaring brother. He said nothing as he shifted his gaze and returned to his task. The younger Uchiha's hand twitched. He was being ignored; he hated it.

"I have more use for it than you do anyway. Why don't you go and finish unpacking?" Itachi reached up and poked Sasuke in the middle of his forehead, unable to resist since he had been leaning forward, "Or perhaps you need to be laid?" He smirked as the teen's cheeks instantly colored.

"You wish, bastard." Sasuke muttered, rubbing his forehead.

"Don't confuse me with yourself, Sasuke." Sasuke's cheeks reddened and Itachi's smirk grew a little. Oh, how he loved to torment his little brother. This was going to be an interesting year.

It was going to be a _long_ year. The brunet muttered curses under his breath as he made his way back up the stairs and to his room. He frowned when he found it locked and glanced up at the yellow piece of paper taped to it.

He reached up and pulled it down, not caring if it was a poorly put together flyer for a get together later that night. He didn't care to associate himself with others. Going out meant doing just that, and going out meant gaining the attention of the female population, thus creating crazed fangirls.

Two things he could do without.

He dug into his pocket and pulled out his key, unlocking the door and stepping inside, closing the door behind him. He stopped when he noticed the blond from before sitting on the couch, talking his head off to his stoic and silent roommate. If it weren't for the shocking red hair, Sasuke would have missed the blond's friend, who turned his hard green gaze onto him.

Pale eyes glanced over in his direction and he nodded in greeting. The blond, seeing this, stopped talking and glanced over what Neji had been nodding to out of curiosity. A finger immediately went up, point at the Uchiha accusingly again, "Ah! You! What are you doing here, bastard?!"

"I live here, idiot." Sasuke retorted, moving back to his desk to continue his task of unpacking.

"Oh." The blond dropped his hand, watching the brunet walk, "You forgot to apologize for hitting me!" Neji raised an elegant eyebrow at the proclamation.

"He's the one that gave you that bump?" He asked, steady gaze moving toward the Uchiha's back, "Picking fights already?"

Sasuke shrugged, "He wasn't paying attention. Not my fault the dobe's blind."

"I'M NOT A DOBE!" Annoyed, the blond got to his feet, stomped over to the pale teen, grabbed a shoulder and forcibly turned him around before punching him square in the jaw. If it hadn't been for the desk behind him, Sasuke would've stumbled back and right into the wall with a thud.

Sasuke reached up and wiped the trickling blood off his chin with his thumb, smirking. He straightened before glancing down at the blond, "Not bad for a dobe."

The blond's fists clenched, azure eyes darkening in anger. The bastard was mocking! He pulled a fist back for another punch, ready to punch the pretty boy's lights out--

"Uzumaki." Naruto's fist stopped just shy of Sasuke's nose and he glanced back over his shoulder at his companion. Dark eyes followed the blond's line of sight to the red-head.

"I'm not cleaning up your mess." Naruto pulled his hand away from the bastard and turned to face his companion, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly, "Heh heh... Sorry about that, Gaara. But he's a bastard!"

"Hn."

Sasuke rolled his eyes before shifting their gaze onto Neji, "Your friends, I take it."

"Hn. Socializing should remove the stick from your ass somewhat, Uchiha." The teen felt an eye twitch at the comment. And when the hell did _he_ need to be told by someone who needed to get _their_ stick out of _their_ ass to... to... Ugh!

"No thank you." Sasuke turned his back to the room and continued his task. He would not socialize. The would require leaving his room, which would attract attention. Attracting attention meant being chased by fangirls. He wouldn't have it.

Naruto watched the brunet before wrapping an arm around his shoulder, grinning broadly, "I agree with Neji! You need to go out and have some fun! That stick isn't gonna just fall out of your tight ass!" Chuckling, he pulled away with a squeeze to Sasuke's ass, pulling out a soft yelp from the Uchiha.

Sasuke immediately turned and made a move to grab the idiotic blond, but he jumped back and out of the way, still laughing.

"Dammit, get back here, usuratonkachi!" He tried to will the faint color on his cheeks to fade. Who the hell did this guy think he was, groping him like that?!

"Nyaaah!" Naruto continued cackling and let out an 'eep!' as Sasuke made another move to grab him. He glared at the blond's back as he left the dorm, silently followed by Gaara.

The moron had better hope they didn't have any classes together. He was going to get payback for that.

* * *

Revised by request. Sorry that it turned out shorter than the original.


	11. Breaking Barriers

* * *

_Note: Takes place after Introductions/Beginnings_

* * *

Sasuke didn't like how persistent the blond was in terms of getting the figurative stick out of his ass. He never thought he would take it... somewhat literally.

Still, he didn't like to socialized and it showed. Whenever the dobe would drag him to his table of friends during lunch, he was amongst the other two anti-socials. He always ate his lunch in silence, leaving as soon as he was done.

The only time Naruto would get an actual, real reaction from the Uchiha was when he would flirt with him. Sasuke himself couldn't figure out why he was reacting the way he was.

Uchiha Sasuke did not crush.

The only people he would allow close to him were his brother and Kakashi. No one else would ever get near him. He knew that if he allowed it, they would end up dead.

Despite that, why did Naruto continue to try? He didn't need to "have fun." He could take perfect care of himself. He didn't need to be treated like he was, dammit.

Again, Naruto was trying to drag him away for lunch. Scowling, he pulled his hand away and pinned Naruto to the wall, standing close with both hands on either side of his head to prevent escape.

"Why do you keep involving yourself with me?" Sasuke growled, eyes narrowing into a dangerous glare.

Naruto blinked and reached up to pull the brunet's hands from the wall, letting them rest on his shoulders. He offered a small, uncharacteristic smile as he looked him in the eye, "Because you have those eyes... You're lonely, aren't you?"

Ebony eyes widened slightly before Sasuke pulled away. He turned his back on the blond and muttered "usuratonkachi" before walking away.

As he did, he allowed himself a weak smile. It seemed as if his shields were indeed crumbling slowly, allowing the hyperactive blond to get closer at the same pace.


	12. Night

_Note: Takes place after Shields._

_

* * *

_Sasuke tried to keep his right eye from twitching. Naruto was currently dragging him off campus and toward one of the many night clubs around the university. The loud-mouth blond had declared that he had been spending too much time in his dorm room the first few weeks of classes while also declaring that he didn't know how to have fun.

He also figured that, no matter what, the dobe would have dragged him out anyway. Being the prideful Uchiha that he was, he had answered 'Of course I know how to have fun.' Naruto then turned the evening into a challenge. Whoever had the most fun – and _showed_ it – won.

Sasuke could not help but hope that he wouldn't be taken off to dance. He didn't know how to. At all.

Naruto got the two into the club and past the bouncer easily enough. Sometime since the two had gotten onto more friendlier terms, Naruto managed to make fake IDs. Completely flawless. Once inside, Sasuke couldn't shake the feeling that, somehow, they would get themselves caught and into trouble.

As if sensing the potential Aura of Doom™ (as named by Naruto himself), Naruto glanced over at the brunet and gave him a shove, "Lighten up already, bastard! Nothing's gonna happen."

Additionally, he stuck his tongue out childishly at the Uchiha and dragged him over to the closest bar before shoving him onto a stool, following suit and taking a seat himself next to Sasuke.

"And just what do the two of you think you're doing here." Sasuke cringed. Dammit, he had the feeling they were going to get caught. He wouldn't have cared if it were any other teacher; in fact, he would've ignored any other teacher. But this one…

The blond blinked and glanced back at the looming figure behind them. He broke into his usual goofy-looking grin before answering, "Ehehe… Don't worry, we'll be good, Itachi-sensei. Just had to get the bastard out and have some fun, y'know?" Naruto scratched at a scarred cheek sheepishly.

"Hn. Detention tomorrow before lunch, Sasuke."

"Hey! That's not fair, it was my idea!" Naruto defended, turning in his head to face the elder Uchiha fully, "At least give me detention too!"

"I'll think of something else for you, Naruto-kun." Itachi shifted his gaze toward his younger brother and gave his hair a small yank, "Don't forget either. I'll escort you personally if need be."

Sasuke winced and reached back to pry his brother's hand from his hair while throwing a glare back at him. As usual, Itachi was unphased by the glare.

"Aw, Itachi's loving on his little brother again." Three sets of eyes shifted to another blond, who was snickering at the scene, azure eyes just as bright as Naruto's. "What, you find yourself a blond too?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Deidara." Sasuke glared at the older blond, who merely blinked.

"No? You find yourself a blond then?" A light flush colored the bridge of Sasuke's nose at the comment.

"Eh?" Naruto crinkled his eyes in confusion.

"Though he'd look better paired with Itachi than you, Sasuke. Maybe you could bring him to dinner next time?" Deidara gave a playful nudge to Itachi's side before disappearing back into whatever hole he crawled from before he could be hurt.

"Hn. We shall see." Itachi ignored the look Sasuke was giving him before releasing his hair, "I suppose you got off easy in your punishment, Naruto-kun. I shall contact you when plans are made." With that, and leaving no time for response, Itachi left the two.

"What just happened?" Naruto asked, blinking slowly at the empty space in front of him.

"You got a date and I got detention." Sasuke muttered irritably, waving the bartender over and ordering himself a drink.

He wanted the night to just end. This was in no way fun.


	13. Sounds

_Notes: Takes place after Night_

_

* * *

_Naruto was on his date with Itachi. Every time the thought crossed Sasuke's mind – which was too often for his liking – he twitched. It was amazing that he had yet to develop a permanent twitch in his eye.

Sasuke sat, alone, at the bar of the nightclub which Naruto had taken him to a few days ago. He still owed the dobe a dance, too. Che.

"What's a pretty boy like you doing here sulking all by his lonesome?" Sasuke glared at the newcomer who had taken a seat next to him. He chose not to pay attention to the feral grin being aimed at him.

"Not sulking."

Deep red eyes rolled at the response, their owner running a hand through bold, messy red hair – brighter than Gaara's if that was possible, "Fine, brooding. What, your girlfriend dump you?"

"I'm not seeing anyone and it's none of your business." Patience starting to wear thin, Sasuke moved to push himself away from the bar and leave, but was stopped by an arm snaking its way across his shoulders, preventing escape.

"Hm. You need to take the stick outta your ass, cutie." The red-head smirked at him, revealing four sharp canines.

Sasuke shot another glare at the teen next to him before shrugging off the arm and getting up to leave. Thankfully he wasn't stopped this time, or else he might have had to end up using force.

"Feisty one, aren't you? What's your name, princess?" Sasuke stopped in his tracks, right eye once again twitching, though this time due to the way in which he had been addressed.

Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Sasuke shifted slightly so he was glancing back at the red-head through the corner of his eyes, "Sasuke."

"Heh. Even your name's prissy." The Uchiha turned to face forward once more before closing his eyes for a brief moment. Calming himself once again, the teen simply left the red-head. He didn't care for his name; the only thing that he cared for at that moment was getting red of his headache.

* * *

I apologize for the lack of updates last month. I simply didn't have any inspiration to write anything for the drabble challenge.


	14. Blue

_Notes: Takes place after Sounds._

_

* * *

_Sasuke could not concentrate. He sat at his desk, staring at the screen of his laptop as if his homework would complete itself. He drummed his fingers against the keys and luckily was not harped on by the Hyuuga, who had stepped out to escort his cousin while she went shopping with her friends.

Dark eyes flickered down to the corner of the screen to check the time. It was getting late, so Naruto should be --

"Oiiii! Te – me!"

Taking a calming breath, Sasuke looked away from his computer and up at his intruder with slightly narrowed eyes, "You need to learn how to read signs, dobe. Knock first."

Naruto rolled his eyes and pulled up the chair from Neji's desk on the other side of the room before taking a seat next to the brunet, seated with the chair backwards and arms draped across the back. He took one look at Sasuke and broke into a huge grin, "What sign?"

An exasperated sigh left Sasuke's lips before he turned his attention back to the screen in front of him. He continued to sit there, drumming his fingers away.

A moment of silence passed before the Uchiha reluctantly asked, "How... was it? Your date." Not that he cared. He didn't. He didn't want to know, either. He didn't want to know what people did with his brother. This was no different.

Honestly.

A nervous chuckle from the blond drew Sasuke's attention back to him, and he wasn't surprised to find pink cheeks and a finger scratching sheepishly at a whiskered cheek. He shouldn't have been, but he was. Sasuke once again looked away, forcing his fingers to stop they're rhythmic tapping.

"Hn. That good, then. I assume he asked you out again as well."

"We're kinda dating, yeah." Naruto offered a sheepish grin that was quickly wiped away by the surprised look on the Uchiha's face. But, as quickly as it had come, it was gone as the brunet recollected himself.

"If you're only going on a second date, then you're not dating him just yet. You're just going to see him again. That's all."

Naruto chuckled as he got up to his feet, ruffling the Uchiha's hair as if he were a child, "Denial doesn't do you any good, Sasuke-chan!" With an 'eep!' and a dodge away from a swinging arm, the blond left the room laughing.

"... Usuratonkachi." Sasuke muttered, a hand covering his face to hide the slight tint on his cheeks.


	15. Red

_Notes: Takes place after Blue_

_

* * *

_It was one of the few moments of absolute peace that Sasuke got, setting outside under a tree. Naruto had been dragged off by Kiba and Lee to go to the arcade, and before the blond could consider taking him along with them, he was gone. Safe and sound from the headache-inducing teenagers.

Pale fingers ran across the keyboard of their owners' laptop, working on the homework that could not be completed earlier that week due to distractions. He was still fine, in terms of turning his work in; Sasuke liked to complete things early, much like his roommate, so that he would not be running around like a chicken cut off at the last minute trying to get it done.

"Well well, if it isn't little Sasuke-chan," There was amusement in the newcomer's voice, which Sasuke recognized instantly. Dammit, why couldn't Kakashi be off trying to get into Iruka's pants instead? "Not with your little crush?"

An eye twitched and a couple of fingers twitched, but otherwise the teen paid no attention to the silver-haired man's teasing. He dealt with it growing up. It was easy enough to ignore.

"Mm… Since you're here and not at the arcade with him, I guess not. I bet he'd be willing to flirt with you if you did go with them." Kakashi chuckled softly and leaned against the side of the tree, orange porn book in front of his face as per usual.

"What do you want." Sasuke didn't crush. _Uchihas_ didn't crush. And yet, Kakashi was still good at pointing out such things, and he wouldn't leave you alone about it. Especially him, since the bastard used to be his babysitter.

"Nothing, really." Kakashi's tone of voice quickly went from amused to bored as he turned a page in his book, acting as if he had come just to read.

"Then go away." Dark grey eyes glanced down at the brunet, amusement still hinted in them. At any other time before the semester started, Sasuke's response would have always been 'then fuck off,' but not this time. Perhaps he didn't know it, but the fact that Sasuke was getting softer could very well be a certain blond's doing.

"Hmm. No 'fuck off.' You've gotten softer, Sasuke." The teen's hands stopped completely before he glanced up at Kakashi, eyes narrowed in a glare, "And what's that supposed to mean."

"Exactly what it sounds like." Kakashi knelt down so he was on eye-level with the Uchiha, a hand reaching out to pat him on the head, "We should all thank Naruto for that. You were such a hassle before."

Sasuke batted the hand off his hand, "The dobe hasn't done a damn thing other than give me migraines."

"You shouldn't lie to yourself, Sasuke-chan, it's not healthy~"

"What the hell are you talking about." Annoyed, the teen turned back to his work, but found that he could no longer concentrate on his paper. He glared at the screen before turning his glare onto his ex-babysitter, who simply crinkled an eye up in amusement.

"You like him, don't you? Naruto, that is~" The only response that Sasuke offered was a turn of the head and a refusal to look at him. Kakashi chuckled before getting back onto his feet, "I'll take that as a yes. Better wipe that blush off your face before you see him again, Sasuke~"

"Fuck you!"


	16. Shields

_Note: Takes place after Introductions/Beginnings, before Night_

_

* * *

_"Hey! I'm Uzumaki Naruto!" Dark eyes glanced up through blue-black locks and at the blond teen in front of him. Sasuke was currently sitting at an empty table in the cafeteria, taking a few moments to relax with his chair propped back against the wall, eyes closed. That is, until he was rudely interrupted.

He vaguely recalled seeing the teen elsewhere before.

"So you are," Ignoring the childish blond in front of him, Sasuke closed his eyes once more, pulling out his earphones and mp3 player to drown out the noise around him.

"Hey! Listen when someone's talking to you!" Naruto yanked the miniature speakers from the brunet's ears, along with the attached audio device, and grinned when he was met with an annoyed glare.

"Give those back." Sasuke made a move to reach for them, but they were only pulled away and out of his reached.

"No. I introduced myself, so it's only common courtesy you do too!"

"Tch." He wasn't in the mood for games. Deciding to abandon his captive mp3 player and earphones, Sasuke grabbed his bag and got onto his feet, pushing past Naruto to leave.

"Hey! Don't be such a jerk, asshole!" Naruto shouted, easily drawing attention from those around him, "And don't think I'm going to give up so easily either!"

Much to Sasuke's displeasure, Naruto kept to his word. It was also unfortunate for the Uchiha that the two had most of their classes together.

Sasuke made it a point that he wasn't going to formally introduce himself – thought it was a wast of time to do so when he knew that Naruto had already learned his name from roll call. He wasn't very good at passing off jotting the Uchiha's name down as notes.

And just because Naruto finally learned his name, it didn't mean Sasuke was going to open himself up. _At all_.


	17. Falling

_Notes: Takes place after Red_

_

* * *

_History class. He loathed it only because his brother was the professor. Of course, that means teasing _during_ class. It annoyed him, but he dealt with it. But now… he loathed it even more – more than he loathed going to Chemistry where that snake taught. Why?

As soon as class was dismissed, everyone got out of their seats and left, chatting as they went. Sasuke moved to follow suit, but paused as Naruto remained in his seat. He watched the blond for a moment before glancing toward Itachi, but spoke to Naruto.

"Oi. The ramen'll be gone if you don't hurry up, dobe."

"Huh?" Naruto snapped out of his daze and looked up at Sasuke, who only glanced back to glare at him. Naruto laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"That won't be necessary, Sasuke. Naruto-kun will be eating lunch with me." Immediately, Naruto waved his arms in front of him defensively, "S-Sorry, Sasuke! I kinda did make plans with sensei first… and er, later tonight too…"

"… Hn." Sasuke shot a glare back at his brother, who wasn't even paying attention.

"If that's all, then please leave Sasuke. You're interrupting my lunch date." Sasuke clenched a fist and turned his glare onto his friend before leaving the classroom, making a point in slamming the door behind him. Not that it did much good other than draw a small 'eep' from Naruto as he got out of his seat.

He couldn't believe that they were actually _dating_. It had been four weeks, so he should have gotten slightly use to the idea, but still. Naruto could have at _least_ had the decency to tell him that they _were_ dating.

Though, he did after the first date. Sasuke just was in denial and didn't admit it. And still didn't. Oh well.


	18. Shock Static

_Notes:_ Takes place after Fallen

* * *

A hand slammed down on the wall next to a blond head. Dark eyes glared down into sheepish blue. Naruto couldn't help but swallow hard as Sasuke trapped him against the wall just outside of his dorm room.

"What did you just say." Sasuke said between his teeth, eyes narrowing a fraction.

"Well… You've had time to get used to the idea, so I don't see what the big deal is." Naruto glared back, pushing off of the wall and getting into Sasuke's face, "I said sensei and I are going out tonight because it's our one month anniversary!"

Sasuke backed up a fraction before dropping his hand, "You need to break up with him tonight." His tone grew darker, almost hinting coldness.

He knew what his brother was doing. He's seen it several times before, when Itachi was still in school, both in high school and in college. Itachi would use his so-called lovers just for their bodies until he got bored of them. They were things to him. Itachi didn't love. Sasuke thought he was incapable of the emotion since their parents had been murdered in front of his eyes.

"No way! I like sensei and sensei likes me! You're just jealous, Sasuke!" Naruto was shouting now. He couldn't understand why his best friend couldn't just _accept _his dating his older brother. Why not just be one big happy family? Naruto would have liked that – loved it, even. The only family Naruto had was Gaara, his closest friend. No one else.

"I'm not _jealous_, usuratonkachi! Itachi's _using_ you! He doesn't care about your feelings or anything else! Just get out of the stupid relationship before he gets tired of you."

Naruto clenched his fist before outright punching Sasuke across the cheek, sending the taller teen stumbling back several steps.

"It's not _stupid_, Sasuke! Why don't you just butt out?! It's not _your_ love life anyway!" With that, Naruto pushed past the brunet and stomped his way up to his dorm room to fume to his roommate.

With a sigh, Sasuke rubbed his cheek and watched the blond leave. With the shake of his head, Sasuke made his way into his room while muttering, "Don't come to me if your heart gets broken, dobe. I warned you."


	19. Coffee

_Notes:_ Takes place after Shock/Static

Warning for drug usage.

* * *

Sasuke was pissed. Actually, more like he needed to find himself some stress relief, but stress relief didn't want to find him. Neji was out with Hinata and her friends while they went shopping. Kakashi was trying to woo Iruka. He didn't care about Naruto or his brother at the moment. They were probably out having sex in some public place anyway.

There was only one thing left that he could think of: The Club.

Hopefully he could find himself some drunks to punch the lights out of. Or druggies. He didn't care which, especially if they came onto him before he beat their lights out. The thought made him smirk. But he wouldn't just go up and start beating on some poor innocent. That wasn't his thing.

But.

Yes. That was what he was going to do for the night. Whoever hit on him was gonna be out the rest of the night.

Sasuke passed the bouncer with ease and made his way back over to the bar. He sat down at an empty stool and ordered himself a glass of water. The teen didn't pay much attention to the mop of striking red hair that was next to him, but he, unfortunately, was the one to be noticed.

"Well if it isn't the princess." Kyuubi couldn't help but smirk before taking a drink from his beer, "Didn't know you were a pansy either."

Sasuke's hand twitched at the remark, but didn't otherwise retort. He thanked the bartender for his glass and moved to take a drink from it, only to have the class plucked out of his hands by Kyuubi. The teen let out an exasperated sigh and turned to face the redhead with an annoyed glance, "I want my drink back."

"Too bad." Kyuubi turned and downed the glass in one swing before letting out a content sigh. He was amused with how easy it was to toy with Sasuke and ruffle his feathers.

"Che." Sasuke looked away and simply ordered himself another glass of water. He didn't know what it was about the teen next to him, but he didn't feel right. Maybe that was just because he was pissed. Sasuke took the new glass without a word only to have, that, too, taken from him and replaced with the glass of beer.

Okay, this guy was really starting to piss him off.

"I _don't_ drink, all right? Give me my damn water back." Irritation and annoyance was evident in Sasuke's voice, which only made Kyuubi snort and take his glass back. But he didn't return the glass of water. Instead, he ordered a shot of vodka, downed it and leaned over, grabbing the back of Sasuke's head and kissing him hard on the lips, effectively catching the Uchiha off guard.

Sasuke had been about to demand exactly what the hell he was doing, but was cut off by Kyuubi, mouth partially opened as he was kissed. This made it easier for Kyuubi as he fed the alcoholic beverage to Sasuke, causing the teen to widen his eyes and immediately try and pull away. The redhead held on strong, however, and didn't intend to let Sasuke go until he swallowed.

Reluctantly, Sasuke did swallow the shot. Satisfied, Kyuubi pulled away, licking his lips as he smirked. The prude didn't taste half-bad. He left Sasuke coughing and trying to get the nasty aftertaste out of his mouth as he turned back to the glass of ice water sitting untouched in front of him. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a packet labeled 'Sweet-n-Low,' tore off a corner and poured the powder in. He let it sink to the bottom and dissolve enough so it wouldn't be noticeable before handing it back.

"Here's your water, princess. I even sweetened it for you."

Sasuke watched Kyuubi carefully as he wiped the residue from the vodka and kiss off his lips. Slowly, he took the glass back and took a small sip to taste. Indeed, it did taste sweetened. With sugar, most likely, as he noticed the discarded pink packet lying on the bar's counter.

"...Thanks." Acting as if nothing had happened, Sasuke turned away from Kyuubi and nursed his drink while keeping an eye on the red head. Kyuubi seemed to be doing nothing more than looking for a good lay, so Sasuke decided to let him be. It wasn't until he was almost done with his glass did Sasuke start to feel odd. A hand reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose at the first sign of swimming vision, causing him to frown.

Before anything drastic happened, however, Sasuke decided that it would be best for him to return to his dorm and sleep. However, as soon as he got to his feet, a heavy dizzy spell hit him and he lost his footing, and he blacked out before he could see who had caught him.


	20. Lust

Warning: This fic contains yaoi, or boyxboy love. If you don't like yaoi or shounen-ai or anything that isn't het, leave now. You HAVE been warned. Do not press onward just so you can complain about it. It's your fault if you end up reading something you don't like. I am not forcing anyone to read this.

Takes place after Coffee.

* * *

When Sasuke regained consciousness, he couldn't make out anything. His mind was everywhere and nowhere at once, unable to form coherent thought. But he could still feel what was going on, somewhat. When he tried to open his eyes, the only thing that he could see was the same black as the back of his eyelids. He was blindfolded.

He groaned, trying to move but only to find out that he couldn't. Not only could his body not function properly, but he could just barely make the connection that he was tied to something.

"Looks like the princess finally woke up." Kyuubi got onto his feet and walked the two-step distance from the chair he had been sitting in to the bed. The redhead had brought him to one of the back rooms of the club and immediately tied up Sasuke. He had to admit, he didn't look half-bad when he wasn't trying to act tough and blind folded.

His only response was an incoherent groan, drawing a chuckle out of him. He gave a toothy smirk before climbing onto the bed and straddling Sasuke's waist, making sure to sit right _on top_ of his groin. Sasuke's body bucked automatically to the contact.

Yes, he was going to enjoy this. He was probably a screamer, too.

Leaning down, Kyuubi topped Sasuke's head to the side and bit down, canines digging in as he ground his hips against the Uchiha, smirking as he pulled out a moan. He helped himself with marking up the brunet's neck, biting and sucking while his hands worked on getting rid of Sasuke's pants and boxers.

Pulling away, he tossed the unwanted garments over his shoulder carelessly. Huh. Maybe this one could be used more than once. Hopefully he didn't reach his orgasm as quickly as he got hard.

Kyuubi stepped away from the bed for a moment to divest himself of his own pats, leaving a drugged Sasuke bound to the bed and needy. Kyuubi wasn't all that surprised that it took just a little effort to unwind the Uchiha. It was a shame that he wouldn't remember anything, though.

Oh well. There was always blackmail material for that.

Climbing back onto the bed, Kyuubi lifted Sasuke's legs up by the back of his knees and spread them wide. He didn't even bother to prepare his partner before slamming right on in, drawing a loud, pained scream from Sasuke. He wouldn't be heard anyway, not with the loud music pounding outside.

Speaking of loud pounding music… it set a good rhythm. And by the end of the third song, Sasuke was arching his back and keening as both were brought to mutual orgasm.


	21. Lesser of Two Evils

_Note: Takes place after Lust_.

No offense was meant to me made to rape victims in this drabble. Please understand that before flaming.

* * *

When Sasuke finally came to, the first thing he felt was the searing pain. He had to bite his tongue in order to keep himself from making any kind of noise and draw unnecessary attention to himself. Especially since the last thing he remembered was being at the club with that stupid red-headed perv. He didn't even want to think about why his lower back was hurting...

As soon as the pain died down, Sasuke hesitantly opened his eyes. He was afraid to find himself still at the club and left alone to fend for himself in his state... whatever it was. But he was more than surprised to find himself in the lobby of his own dorm building. He was pretty sure he didn't tell what's-his-face where he lived. Okay, this was just starting to get a little creepy.

Either he was stalked here one night, or they lived in the same building. Sasuke didn't like either of those options, and it didn't help his mood that he couldn't even remember anything after drinking his... water...

Fuuuuuuuuuuck.

Sasuke groaned loudly, drawing the attention of the person closest to him, which, fortunately or unfortunately – he wasn't sure yet – just so happened to be his roommate, Hyuuga Neji.

"Uchiha." Oh, fuck his luck, seriously. The last thing he needed right now was to be seen like this by his stuck-up roommate. He knew he would end up lectured by him one way or another for 'immoral action,' and his 'idiocy and recklessness.' Tch.

"Hm? Whatcha lookin' at, Neji?" Kill him now, _please_. "Ah! Teme! Wait, why are you sleeping out here?"

Sasuke couldn't help it. He facepalmed. Of _course_ Naruto would ask a dumb ass question. Well, technically, it was perfectly valid, but Sasuke saw it as stupid. "Just shut up and carry me upstairs. I can't move." God, he was going to regret this later so. hard. "And ask me questions/make snarky remarks/tell me what to do later, Hyuuga."

"I wasn't even going to say anything." Neji watches as Naruto grumbled and picked up the other brunet. He waited until Naruto had Sasuke secure in his arms – being carried bridal-style, to which Sasuke protected against with a few choice words despite it being the most pain-free method of carriage – and led them to the elevator.

The ride up was quiet and a little tense, but at least it was short. Neji opened the door to his and Sasuke's room when they arrived, holding it open for Naruto before following the blond inside and closing the door behind him.

Naruto then walked over to the bottom bunk bed that belonged to Sasuke and with surprising gentleness laid the Uchiha down. Sasuke sat up enough, despite the pain, to be able to prop himself up on his elbows and stared up at Naruto as if he had just grew two extra heads.

"What? I can be nice, y'know!"

"That's what scares me."

"Temeeee-!" Naruto stomped one foot forward, rolling up the sleeve of one arm as if he were about to punch the living daylights out of Sasuke.

"Enough." Neji let out a soft sigh, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger. Why him? Certainly fate couldn't be so cruel...

"He started it!" Naruto immediately straightened, pointing an accusing finger at Sasuke like a child caught red handed.

That only helped Neji come to the conclusion that yes, Fate was indeed a cruel mistress.

"Just tell us what happened, Uchiha." The Hyuuga fixated his colorless stare at the other, ignoring Naruto as he pulled up Sasuke's desk chair and plopped down in it backwards.

Sasuke simply frowned before looking away. He was still having trouble trying to fire that out himself. However, it wasn't difficult to put the scattered pieces together despite him initially not wanting to know: He couldn't remember a thing, his lower back and ass hurt, and he had reason to believe that his drink had been drugged. He had been stupid enough to not keep his eyes on his drink, stupid enough to let it get stolen, stupid enough not to watch what's-his-face, and had made the even more stupid decision to _drink_ said beverage after it had been stolen from him.

Just a little beer wasn't the cause of all of this hell, after all.

After a brief pause, Sasuke finally spoke, "I don't know exactly what happened, but I think someone slipped me a roofie and took advantage of it."

Both sets of eyes on him widened. Naruto, being the more emotional one, leapt out of the chair and started shouting.

"Well, who was it? Did you get a name, remember what they look like? This shit's important 'ttebayo!"

"As unnecessarily loud he is, Naruto is right. We need information so that we can properly alert the campus poli—"

"Can it." I'm not reporting it and I'm not going to the stupid nurse to do a rape kit." Sasuke slowly sat up, flinching from the pain, and swung his legs over the edge of the bed as he shifted. "I don't want to deal with the trouble and inconvenience and I don't need Itachi senselessly hounding me and having every move I make watched."

"A stupid idea to avoid such minor consequences." Neji frowned. Sasuke simply rolled his eyes. "A decision made even more stupid when there is a possibility of catching disease from this, Uchiha. You should at least get tested. I highly doubt whoever attacked you used a condom or any other means of protection."

"Just get off my back. I'm alive, I feel fine, aside from the pain. I'm not going to repeat myself, so just drop the subject already." Sasuke wasn't in the mood to deal with this, with the hounding his friends were giving him even though he knew that they were right. He just wanted the night to end, wanted to be able to forget what happened and move on with his life. He wasn't some over-emotional chick, for fuck's sake.

To make his point, Sasuke pushed himself off of the bed… only to cringe from the pain and fall back on his already sore ass. O-fucking-w.

Naruto, who had been unusually quiet while the two roommates bickered, would have normally found the scene of Uchiha Sasuke falling back on his ass funny. However, considering the current situation, it wasn't, and he felt compelled to help even if Sasuke didn't want it.

Smiling weakly to himself, the blond pulled out his cell phone and made a quick call to Itachi, letting the elder Uchiha know that he wouldn't be able to make it tonight, having forgot that he had already made plans with Sasuke and Neji. He hung up then and walked over to pick Sasuke back up.

"You want a shower, right? I'll help. You're getting a bath, though. No way I'm standing behind your skinny ass." He grinned, then, ignoring the glare that was thrown at him for the comment.

Neji watched the two walk to the bathroom before getting up to fetch a clean set of clothes for Sasuke. He set it on the bathroom counter before silently ducking out and slipping out of the dorm all together. If Sasuke wanted to be stupidly stubborn and play this off as nothing – as much as he highly disapproved – he was going to need the aid of pain killers.

The movie was playing for more than one night, after all.


	22. Motion

_Note: Takes place after Lesser of Two Evils_

_

* * *

_Sasuke sat in his brother's history class, bored out of his mind. Though he sat in the front, he was staring out the window, softly tapping his pen against his notebook. It was about the only thing he could do at the moment, anyway. Naruto was next to him vigorously taking notes, so who was there to text? Even if he had someone, it would be impossible to do with his brother right there.

Curious, Sasuke reached over and pushed the power button on his phone to check the time. He stared at the screen briefly before pressing it again to turn it off. Class would be ending soon, and since his other classes were cancelled for some odd reason, Sasuke couldn't wait to get off campus and just walk around the mall.

"Sasuke, pay attention." Itachi fixated his gaze on his younger brother until the teen glanced over.

"Hn." Satisfied, Itachi went on with his lecture. As soon as his back was turned, Sasuke glanced back out the window.

Finally, what seemed like an eternity, class was dismissed. Sasuke stood up along with everyone else and shoved his things in his messenger bag. Slipping it over his head, he left without saying anything to either his best friend or his brother.

Sasuke left the building through the closest door and made his way toward the bus stop. It had been about a month since his incident at the club, and all he wanted to do since then was just relax. He had taken walks very often growing up just to get away from everything and clear his head, and that hadn't changed. The mall was big; it'd give him the chance to get away and not be easily found by Itachi.

The teen grabbed the first window seat that he could find and sat down, pulling out his phone and plugging in his ear phones. It took about twenty minutes to get to the mall by bus, and there was no better way to pass the time than listening to music.

If he wasn't so prone to attracting trouble, Sasuke would have just laid back and closed his eyes, counting out the four or so songs it usually took to reach his destination. But since, unfortunately for him, he was, he just rested his elbow on the windowsill and stared out the window has he had in Itachi's class.

Finally, when the bus arrived, Sasuke slipped the phone into his pocket and hopped off the bus. He glanced up at the building for a brief moment before making his way across the parking lot, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he did so. Maybe he'd walk once around two levels and grab lunch after. He hadn't really had breakfast, but he wouldn't eat until his head was clear.

Sasuke didn't even know where to begin to his thoughts. Naruto and Itachi have been dating secretly for almost three months. Naruto liked Itachi, but it was clear – to him at least – that Naruto was nothing more than just an extended fling. But why? Sasuke frowned, scowling just slightly. This was stupid. Naruto was stupid for hopelessly falling in love like that, especially with a jackass like Itachi. He hated it, and he's made it obvious on more than one occasion, now, that he completely disapproved of the relationship, but because Naruto was his best friend, he didn't make a huge fuss over it like his roommate, Gaara, did.

Not to mention the fact that there had been a few instances where Naruto had made him...flustered. There was no girl that he had dated, however briefly, had never made him feel this way.

...Oh, now this was just great. Sasuke reached up and briefly rubbed the bridge of his nose as his stomach growled.

Yeah, that had to be it. He hadn't eaten at all today, so his thoughts had to be weird because of it. Letting out an irritated sigh, Sasuke turned off the music on his phone and wrapped the ear buds around his neck as he made his way toward the food court.

Ordering a slice of pizza, Sasuke picked an isolated table and sat down to eat, using the napkins he grabbed to dab the excess grease before eating. He enjoyed his meal silently, wishing that he had thought to buy himself a soda, which he thought always went good with a slice. Shrugging, he made a mental note to get one whenever he finished so he would have something to drink during the rest of his walk.

As Sasuke got up to throw away his used napkins and paper plate, he stopped as he was approached by a long-haired, equally pale-complexion man.

"Little Sasuke, I presume? You've grown up wonderfully; you look just like your mother." The man couldn't help but smirk as Sasuke's eyes widened, realization and recognition finally settling in.

"...Madara."

"Oh, not 'Uncle Maddy' anymore, Sasuke? I'm hurt." Madara feigned such, a hand over his chest in exaggeration.

"What do you want?" Sasuke got up again, and tossed his trash into the trash can. He moved to replace the ear buds in his ears, but stopped as Madara grabbed his wrist. Something in the pit of his stomach was telling him that he needed to get the fuck away, the fuck out of this mall, and back in his dorm where he was _safe_ from his more crazy relatives.

That annoying smirk was back on his face, and red eyes glimmered with mischief. Yeah, he was fucked.

"I would like you to come with me. I recommend not calling your dear brother just yet." Without leaving room for argument, Madara pulled Sasuke along with him, forcing his young nephew to walk next to him to avoid suspicion.

"You didn't answer my question." Sasuke practically hissed as his hand snaked into his pocket to reach for his phone.

"And I said not to touch your phone." Madara's voice gained a hint of cold chill, causing Sasuke to tense immediately, and it took a few seconds before he reluctantly withdrew his hand from his jeans pocket.

Once outside, Madara led Sasuke to a black car waiting out front, waiting until the teenager slipped inside before following suit, closing and locking the door behind him.

Sasuke scooted as far as he could away from Madara, glancing out tinted windows toward the bus stop that he should be taking back to his dorm.

"How has life treated you, little Sasuke? I see you've been getting into lots of trouble and giving your poor little brother a hard time." Casual conversation. Are you fucking kidding? Sasuke wasn't in the mood for this.

"I'm _fine_, if you really want to know. Where are you taking me." Ebony eyes narrowed into a glare as they met deep crimson.

"Why, I'm simply offering you a ride home. I figured we might as well catch up since it's been ten years since I last saw you, little Sasuke."

"I don't believe you." Madara let out a sigh and turned in his seat, pinning Sasuke against the window as he took the young Uchiha's chin into his hand.

"My dear boy... I am completely sincere here, today. However, that truly will not be the case the next time I see you. You see... I still hate you, your brother, our family." Sasuke could feel his heart start to speed up, his pulse quickening... And he was sure his heart was pounding so hard that Madara could hear it, too.

"You want to kill us." Another smirk, except this one was more... dark. Secretive. _Evil_.

"Eventually, yes. However, it's not as fun without a couple of games first." The car came to a stop in what seemed like just in the nick of time. Sasuke held in his breath until Madara moved away, the smirk still plastered on his face. "It seems we've arrived. Do have a good night, little Sasuke."


	23. Sleep

_Note: Takes place after Motion_

_

* * *

_Sasuke couldn't sleep. He had tried to, and had even gone to bed early, but he still lay on his side, his back facing the room, just staring blankly at the wall in front of him. It was almost as if he was depressed, but he wasn't. Just couldn't sleep, no matter how many times he tried – he had even asked Neji to turn off the lights to see if that would help. It didn't. His music didn't help either. Not his rock, not his alternative, not even his classical.

After another hour of trying to sleep, Sasuke finally sat up and pulled out his phone, his fingers moving quickly over the screen as he pulled up a blank text message to send to Itachi. It would be better than calling him at three in the morning. He knew his brother would still be awake grading papers.

_I saw Madara today._

His thumb hovered over the 'send' button as he stared down at the screen, the illumination giving his face an eerie glow, emphasizing the shadows on his face and giving him a sickly kind of appearance.

After struggling with himself for a minute or so, he finally hit the 'send' button on the screen and just waited. Itachi would either text him back or call him. In this instance, Sasuke guessed that Itachi would call and immediately got up to step outside so that he wouldn't wake his roommate.

Lo and behold, as soon as he stepped into the hallway, his phone rang. Sasuke put the cell up to his ear and immediately Itachi began.

"_Where were you."_

Whether or not Sasuke would come to regret this call was yet to be seen. "At the mall. I was eating lunch, alone. I went by bus." He also knew the routine by now. Where were you, what were you doing, were you alone, etc. etc. He had been drilled with those questions every single time he required a trip to the hospital.

"_What happened."_

"I was about to ask you that." Finally starting to feel the faint signs of fatigue, Sasuke slid down the wall, squatting down as he wrapped an arm across his torso, behind his legs. "Why does he hate us? Why does he want us to die, aniki?"

Itachi paused for a moment. Sasuke was too young to remember much of anything about their uncle, and especially too young to remember previous attempts on the little Uchiha family's life.

"_He is power hungry. He will stop at nothing to get what he wants. He has been trying to become the clan's leader for a long time, and at times has attempted to kill our parents to do so."_

This time it was Sasuke's turn to remain silent. Madara had tried to kill their parents before. He couldn't remember anything like that, but...

"Was... Did he...?" Something within him was preventing Sasuke from forming a complete thought, as if that something didn't want to find out the truth.

"_Yes, Sasuke. He had our parents killed. You fight his gang. You have made yourself an easy target."_

"…" Sasuke didn't say anything. He lifted his free hand and covered his other ear, ducking down between his knees as if he was trying to hide from the world around him. He was quiet long enough that Itachi was almost led to believe that the younger had fallen asleep, even though he knew that would be impossible now.

"_Sasuke. Is that all?"_

"... I think I need my medication."

" _I will bring it over shortly_."


End file.
